Many different situations arise where an extra set of hands to hold one or more object in place for a given period of time and then release the object when deactivated would be helpful. One particular population that this apparatus would help is the handicap population. Handicapped and/or people whom have lost the use of one or two of their limbs often need an extra hand to accomplish simple everyday tasks such as preparing meals, eating and cleaning up after cooking. Clamps and weighted objects such as weighted pots; bowls and the like have been available for years but are seldom used because these objects are often inadequate for several reasons.
First, weighted pots are either too light to be affective or are too heavy for a handicapped person to lift and carry them in the kitchen. In other words, a lightly weighted frying pan is easily moved when a spatula is used to turn an item cooking in the frying pan. A moving frying pan can cause a fire or burns if it falls off of the stove or hot plate. A similar problem can arise when a weighted bowl is too light. If a handicapped person uses a lightly weighted bowl for mixing, the bowl would move across the counter-top since it is too light to resist movement.
In an effort to compensate for these shortcomings, products have been produced that are much heavier but these products are also laced with problems. In order for a weighted pot to be effective it must be heavy enough to resist movement when force is applied to it during cooking. The same is true for a weighted bowl when used for mixing. However, as stated above a pot or bowl with this much weight is difficult for a handicapped person to manipulate and/or carry.
Another class of products available on the market today that is designed to help the handicapped population secure pots, bowls, and other items in place while cooking uses a clamping system. Clamping systems that are designed to secure pots to a stove during cooking and bowls to a counter or table when eating are cumbersome and hard to use. These apparatus may keep the object from moving once the pot and/or bowl is attached but it is often difficult for a handicapped person to attach the pot or bowl in the first place. Similarly, once the pot or bowl is attached it is usually difficult for a handicapped person to remove the clamping system when done.
In view of the forgoing, what is needed is a apparatus that is able to hold a pot/bowl in place that is easy to attach and detach, that is not too heavy to move or so light that it inadequately anchors an object in place. In other words, what is needed is an apparatus that can hold a pot/bowl in place that does not have the shortcomings of the apparatus described above. The apparatus should be versatile enough so that it can be used in different applications so as to help the handicap, elderly and even children eat, cook, enjoy hobbies and conduct daily chores.
The apparatus of the present invention achieves this goal. The apparatus of the present invention uses electromagnetic power to hold metal-containing apparatus in place when activated and these metal-containing apparatus are released when deactivated. The apparatus can be turned on or off using an actuator switch as simply as an on and off switch, posing less problems for the handicap community than the apparatus described above. The strong electromagnetic force of the present invention is more than adequate to hold the object in place without slipping.
Using electromagnetic technology, the present invention provides a safe, effective way to handle pots, bowls and other objects requiring either more force than that of a single hand or a steady grip. The present invention maybe in the form of an electromagnetic board, stove ring, or plate all of which overcome the shortcomings of the apparatus currently available to the handicapped, elderly and even infant population.